


You Called WHO?

by magos186



Category: The Night Shift (TV 2014)
Genre: Episode: S1e6 Coming Home, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 01:37:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12180375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magos186/pseuds/magos186
Summary: After his near breakdown in the supply closet and talk with Krista, Drew called the one person in the world he knew could help him talk some sense into Rick.





	You Called WHO?

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I’ve always felt like Rick was a few years older than Drew (even though in real life, Brendan’s older than Luke). So my backstory for the purposes of this AU is that when Rick was in his final year of college, his father, some kind of high ranking Army man, died so when Rick graduated college, he joined the army to honor him. Drew joined when he graduated high school.
> 
> Takes place after Rick wakes up in the ER but before he agrees to the amputation surgery. It's a different take on how the episode could have gone.

A tall, thin, muscular woman with short gray hair approached the nurse’s station of the San Antonio Memorial ER, getting Kenny’s attention with a soft, “Excuse me.”

“Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Dr. Drew Allister. He called me,” she explained. Kenny told her he'd find the doc and directed the woman to the waiting room. 

A few minutes later, Drew appeared, looking as if a weight lifted off his shoulders when he saw her. “Bonnie,” he whispered reverently, hugging her tightly.

“I’m here sweetheart. Tell me what’s going on.” She was quickly pulled into a dark supply room where he told her everything, doing his best to keep himself from falling apart. 

“Take me to him right now,” the woman ordered. The doctor led her to a trauma room, closing the door and curtain behind him. The other door which connected this room with another had already been closed. 

“You called my mother?” Rick asked, glaring at his boyfriend as the woman made her way to his side.

“You’re damn right I called your mother. You’re being an idiot,” Drew said defensively, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because I won’t have the surgery? I told you I would rather die than lose my leg.” 

“Drew, you didn’t tell me he had brain damage as well,” Bonnie interjected. 

“I don’t have brain damage,” Rick retorted angrily.

“Are you sure? Because there’s no way this is _my_ son sitting in front of me saying such ridiculous things.”

“Mom—”

“Don’t you ‘Mom’ me, Richard Alexander Lincoln. And don’t you take this out on Drew either. You know it’s not his fault. This was an accident.” When her son said nothing and turned his head away, Bonnie told the doctor to give them a few minutes and sat on a stool next to the bed. “Talk to me son. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours? You’ve been in a war-zone for a year. We all knew something like this could happen. Once you’ve healed from the surgery, you’ll get a prosthetic and with some rehab you’ll be able to do everything you could before.”

“Not everything,” Rick mumbled.

“Your life as a soldier may be over, but your _life_ isn’t over. You have a family, a great man who loves you—”

“He said he can’t promise the future,” Rick interrupted softly.

“What?”

“They sent a shrink in here to talk to me. Drew and I were arguing and he said I couldn’t expect someone to promise the future.”

“Oh sweetie, that’s not what he meant. He was talking about your leg, not your relationship.”

“How do you know? You weren’t here,” Rick said defensively.

“Don’t you take that attitude with me young man,” his mother snapped back. “I know there’s a lot happening right now, but let me ask you a question. How did I get here so quickly from Wenatchee? It’s because I was already in San Antonio.”

“What were you doing here?”

“Do I need an excuse to fly down and see my baby boy who’s been away for a year?”

“I guess not,” Rick begrudgingly admitted, once again turning his head away.

“I do have one though. Drew called me when he found out you were coming home. He wanted my help planning a surprise for you. He also wanted my permission to marry you.” Rick turned back to his mother, his jaw dropping in shock. “Are you really that surprised? You two have been together for years.”

As hard as the man tried, he couldn’t put together an actual sentence, just stuttered out word fragments. His mother patted his hand and left the room. A minute later, his boyfriend entered and Rick nearly shouted, “You want to marry me?”

Drew sighed wearily and sat on the recently vacated stool. “It’s why I wanted us to go hiking tomorrow. I was going to ask you when we got to our favorite spot on the trail.”

“I would have said yes,” he replied softly.

“But not anymore?” Drew asked sadly.

“I’m about to lose my leg. That changes everything.”

“Not for me it doesn’t.”

“I don’t want you to stay with me out of pity,” Rick admitted, turning his head away. He was doing that a lot but it was his only way to "escape."

“Hey,” Drew said as he gently took the man’s face between his hands, forcing their eyes to meet. “I love you more than anything else in this world. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t pity you because I know that you are strong enough to survive this. It’s gonna suck and it’s gonna be hard and there will be days when you’re so depressed you won’t want to get out of bed, but through it all I will be there for you. I will be by your side, every day, even when you yell at me for hovering because we both know I will.” They both smiled at that, knowing it was the truth.

“I’m scared Drew.”

“I know you are, but we will get through it together. I promise. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Rick took a deep breath and blew it out. “Okay, let’s do the surgery.”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Wenatchee is a city in Washington state known for its apples.
> 
> This is the first Night Shift fic I've posted, so please be gentle and I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
